There is one bipartisan issue Democrats and Republicans are both faced with: Fundraising. It is an election year, and both political parties are clamoring to fill their campaign war chests.
Much of the money will come from Political Action Committees (PAC). Republicans tend to get their PAC contributions from conservative groups and small businesses. By contrast, Democrats receive most PAC contributions from labor unions and liberal groups.
Thus far in the 2022 election cycle, the two parties’ revenue stacks up like this. The Democrats have eight PACs that have donated over $2 million each. Republicans are lagging, with only one PAC contributing $2.4 million. The National Association of Realtors PAC has supported Republicans and Democrats; however, they gave an edge to the Democrats.
Ideological packs also contribute significant amounts of money. For example, the American Federation of Teachers has donated $2.4 million, and Planned Parenthood has donated $737,786 to the Democrat party.
On the Republican side of the street, the leading donor is the Majority Committee PAC at $2.4 million and the National Shooting Sports Federation at $512,180.
Closer to home, in the Texas Governor race, Beto O’Rouke has outraised Gov Abbott. O’Rouke has raised $40.9 million as opposed to $37 million poured into Gov. Abbott’s coffers.
The most shocking number, providing a little addition on a Big Chief tablet with a lead pencil is close to accurate, is something a few miles north of $3 billion that will be spent on Federal Elections alone. Add in state and local elections the number gets even more significant. All said and done; it would buy an awful lot of Texas Bar-B-Que!
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These numbers will all change as election time nears.
The text bell on your cell phone is likely going off like a freight train's air-horn as it approaches a dangerous crossing. That’s especially true if you have ever donated to a candidate, sent them a letter or email, called their office, or passed them on the street.
With the invention of social media, the possibility of your name being picked up for someone’s prospective donor list has increased dramatically. A little trolling of Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media site, will quickly identify people who associate with your political party. The individual’s email address is often right on the site. The name trolling fisherman even gets to see your picture. Now isn’t that special!
In the old days, mass mailing was the only resource available other than volunteers making telephone calls to raise money of any consequence. Mass mailings were expensive, and the net of each contribution was dramatically reduced.
Today’s office holders and office seekers have more efficient ways to raise money. One tool is the robocall. Rather than dig through paper lists and hand dial each call, a computer does the dialing as it works through a list of names loaded onto its memory drive. Names and numbers called are often harvested from voter registration lists.
With the invention of texting, a much more aggressive fundraising method has poked up its pretty little head. Lists of telephone numbers are quickly uploaded to a computer; the fundraising message is typed in, the operator presses a key on their keyboard, and thousands of text messages take to the airways, probably aimed at roosting on your cell phone.
While authoring this piece, so far, 16 texts have arrived. One for a bill coming due and the other fifteen wanting money. The delete button will be very busy after a few more paragraphs are written for this piece.
Democrats and Republicans alike are being leaned on for contributions as both parties see the midterm election as one of the most important in this century. The tone of the text messages has taken on a desperate, pleading context. Some even try to shame a person into giving money.
The shaming tactics would never be used in a face-to-face solicitation. Perhaps shaming tactics are the result of the effect much of social media has had on our society. It is so easy for someone to hide behind an avatar or a false name and then throw terrible, hateful, demeaning words at someone they don’t like. They hide behind the security of knowing no one will ever know their true identity. A face-to-face confrontation, using the exact words from the anonymous avatar, will result in a busted lip. The cowards hide while talking tough.
Political fundraising angst is the same for both major parties. It is challenging and complex work, but both the Rs and the Ds must do it. It is a necessary bipartisan pain for both.
One final thought. Now that we have had this bipartisan civil chat, why don’t we work together to turn down the fire under the rhetoric? The hatred being fanned is dividing us as a nation, equal to the Civil War. The end result cannot be good. Let’s debate civilly over whether to paint the bridge red or blue rather than destroy it and leave no way to cross the river.
One political party drinks from the left bank of the river, and the other party drinks from the right bank. Both are drinking from the same water. Are we not all Americans like the water in the river, with a left bank and a right bank? Do we not depend upon each other for the food we eat, the clothes we wear, and a wonderful community to live in with varied places of worship?
Is it not time we started repairing our priorities by putting God first, country, family, community, and self, in that exact order? That priority list is what this great nation was built on; it’s the foundation put in place by our forefathers. Today that foundation has started to crumble.
The repair work can only begin when we approach it in a bipartisan manner. It’s time to be Americans first, and then we can debate about what color to paint the bridge. How about half red and half blue in parallel lines reaching the entire span of the bridge? The blue line is on top on one side, the red line on the other. Then all Americans may cross over the river from either side.
A bipartisan pain far more important than raising money turned into one of bipartisan cooperation, just as envisioned by George, Tom, Ben, and the rest of the boys some 246 years ago. It’s the only solution for all of us.
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